In a perfect world, a wrongdoer accepts total responsibility when an accident occurs. However, the reality is many will do whatever it takes to avoid fault. In this case, an ex-district attorney tried to use his professional legal experience to shift blame onto the victims.
In 2019, a retired district attorney was returning from a field trip in his large commercial van. As he drove past a school zone and approached a residential intersection, he failed to yield at a stop sign.
Lawfully crossing the intersection were Mark and Linda Self. The elderly couple spent every afternoon strolling through their Victorian neighborhood. They were blindsided by the district attorney’s van and violently thrown to the ground, suffering severe injuries.
Even with the entire incident captured on a witness’s dashboard camera, the Defendant used his expertise to shroud his negligence. He declared the shadows from the surrounding trees occluded him from seeing the Selfs in the crosswalk. Moreover, he contended Mark and Linda had comparative fault for the accident, arguing they should have seen him, noticed he was not stopping, and avoided getting hit.
Mark and Linda needed a knowledgeable advocate to represent them against such a seasoned Defendant. Cory Weck of McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP was referred to help Mark and Linda attain justice. After reviewing the footage of the incident, Cory sought visual evidence that clearly outlined the facts to invalidate the Defendant’s egregious claim.
Cory called on DK Global to inspect the intersection on the first anniversary of the incident. His goal was to demonstrate nothing in the environment could have inhibited the Defendant’s view that fateful day.
DK Global sent their experts to the location of the accident, documenting the sun’s direction and lighting. They collected aerial footage and photographs of the surrounding area, looking for shadows that may have obstructed the Defendant’s vision. The inspection established nothing from the environment, nor the lighting conditions, could have impeded the Defendant’s view of the Selfs, solidifying that the accident was caused solely by his negligence.
Cory shared the evidence with the Defense, proving the Selfs were fully visible that day. After six hours of mediation, Cory Weck secured a $1.5 million settlement for Mark and Linda.
Attorney Cory Weck, a partner at McCune Wright Arevalo, LLP, is a leading trial lawyer in the Inland Empire and is “AV Distinguished” rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Since 2012, Cory has been peer-selected as one of the top 5% of attorneys on the California Super Lawyers list. He has obtained numerous multi-million-dollar results for his deserving clients and has been listed among the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in California” by The National Trial Lawyers.
